Fluent Forever (Revised Edition): How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It

by Gabriel Wyner

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Language

1 pages, Audio CD

Published December 31, 2024

About the author

from author's website:
Author and founder of Fluent Forever.

Over 1.5 million people have read my material to learn how to speak a foreign language and remember it forever. You may be searching for a way to successfully learn your first foreign language, or you may be looking for more efficient ways to learn your third or fourth language. I'm hoping to give you a set of tools to help accomplish either of these goals.

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good to read. Now, the real test will be using this as a reference while I put into practice what he recommends to do.

If you think you cannot learn a language, but have wanted to, this book is for you. If you've been learning a language, but feel stuck, this book is for you. Even if you're not stuck, this book is for you too!

FYI- he does recommend doing some things I will not do, such as reading anything in your target language, such as trashy novels. No thanks on that!

[Zoe Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting, engaging and well thought-out book. As with all these things, Wyner is largely going on his own experience and what has worked for him, but unlike most, he does back up his claims with solid research. As a teacher, I do take slight umbrage with his dislike of teachers, but I can also understand how that could have arisen.

The only thing I found lacking was motivation, which is hugely important when learning a language. Why are you learning? What's your goal? He touches on this - do you want to be able to order coffee, or do you want to read about Russian politics? - but I felt it was downplayed considering how crucial it is. Someone who is learning French just because it seems like the thing to do is way less likely to succeed than someone who wants to get a promotion at work, or chat with their in-laws, or watch a film without subtitles.

Anyhoo, there are lots of great tips in here, and it made me realise I wasn't using Anki to its full potential. Some helpful resources as well.

[Robert Kohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and really helpful read about how to learn a language - specifically, how to make really good flashcards for learning languages. I’m very excited to try out all of the things he recommends in my own journey learning Spanish! The biggest thing about this book that I love is that he really emphasizes learning a language through pictures and trying to understand a language without first having to translate everything into English. He even extends this to grammar with using example sentences to give you ideas about verb conjugations or prepositions, etc. Overall a fantastic introduction to how to start learning a language!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whoa.
To each their own, I guess? I love the suggestion to examine your motivation before beginning study to inform your methods. Clearly his SRS system could work, but he starts the book with a promise that his study method will fit into a normal person's daily life but then describes his own immersive experiences. And the rest of the book is dedicated to explaining his elaborate flashcard making system.

He also spends a long section explaining the natural role of comprehensible input. Yay! But flashcards aren't it.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much bigger book than the first version, and with vastly more useful information. I've been reading it in all sorts of ways as the fancy takes me, using the ideas, and gaining real ground in my current language learning, something that didn't really happen after reading the first version.
It's a terrific book, even if the polyglot Wyner will always be umpteen steps ahead of the rest of us slow coaches.

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful & honest guide.

[Sokcheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting and illuminating read. I specifically enjoyed the indepth suggestion on spaced repetition system and will work on building one myself for my chinese studies.

[Chris Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

You guys that are putting less than five stars, are crazy. This has to be one of the best books to read when learning a language.

Granted, im about 180 hours into learning Spanish and I'm just edging a b1 level. I've tried just about every method out there to study words faster and more efficiently and the way he teaches you to do it in this book is by far the best. You can literally learn 30+ words a day EASILY. No more slaving over notebooks or suffering through memorizing through repetition.
I've been using Anki well before I read this book and Anki works really well. Statistically, it takes advantage of the best method of studying, which is spaced repetition. But the way that he structures the information that you're putting into Anki is absolutely game changing. I am very easily and comfortably learning 30+ words a day and it's only taking me about maybe 15-25 mins a day. I still go off and use ChatGPT, my tutor on Preply and my native Spanish-speaking wife to practice all the other tenses that I've been learning, but in the way of memorizing words so that they stick and you don't forget them, this is hands-down the best book you can read to do that.
Anybody not reading this book with a notebook in their hand is just passing up on absolutely incredible information. Take notes, really good notes and do exactly what he says. Go to his website and download his Anki templates and take advantage of the FREE out of the book resources that he gives you, again for FREE. Anybody I know that wants to learn a language or is actively learning a language, I'm recommending this book to them.

[Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was skeptical, then unimpressed, then confused, but now I guess I’m a believer. The book gives you everything you need. His app packages it up well for daily use. 30 days later, I’m really enjoying my flash cards and expanded vocabulary lol